Heller Comments on Delhi Protests

February 6, 2013

Photo: SAJJAD HUSSAIN - AFP/Getty Images

Writing in the Indian Express, Patrick Heller explains the complex social dynamics revealed by the popular protest that has filled Delhi since the gangrape and murder of a young woman in December. He cautions that it's too soon to measure the results of more than a month of street demonstrations and public outcry. "The movement has already succeeded in starting a public conversation, the first step towards changing gender norms," writes Heller. "Whether or not it can translate this discursive moment into institutional change will of course depend on how parties and the state respond."